


Claustober Day 4 - Drago

by PK_Wonderstruck



Category: Mother 3
Genre: Blood, Claus somewhat reliving his truama yep, Claustober (Mother 3), Good Pacing? never heard of him, this sucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26817385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PK_Wonderstruck/pseuds/PK_Wonderstruck
Summary: “I think we both lost sight of our lives that day.”Claus still doesn't remember the events which conspired before his demise, but he's about to.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 6





	Claustober Day 4 - Drago

**Author's Note:**

> Note that Claus fluctuates between he/him and they/them since I find the headcanon of him being nonbinary rad and am seeing if it fits well in this story

Among other things, one of the issues with only having one arm was that you couldn’t properly catch yourself when you rolled off the roof of your small house in your sleep. Claus had thought a quick nap wouldn’t hurt after managing to climb up, and ending up rolling around and lightly snoring for hours on end until he finally fell without much of a sound. Good thing he landed on his back, not the face, because of a fresh bandage wrapped around it. With a groan they sat up and rubbed his back. The stars were still out, and the night sky was still providing a blanket to most. For Claus, it was his wake up call. Their sense of decent sleep had been destroyed a long time ago, for multiple reasons, one of which being how they liked the sense of peace and serenity during the night. They felt pain somewhere else, but when he looked down he gave a puzzled expression to the blank space that should be his right arm. Claus used his left hand to help themself stand up with a sigh. 

“It’s been two weeks.” A mutter to no one but themself, though he wished he had someone to speak to right now. “Why do I still feel it?” Phantom Pain was the term that old man named Wess had used. When it feels like a part of the body you have lost was still there, still pumping blood and still in just as good of a condition as ever. Yes, maybe in a different life he still had his arm, maybe in a different life it didn’t seem like one of the things that was sacrificed to get their life back, maybe in a different life he didn’t treat this pain as a justified punishment. No… maybe he was thinking too deep on this. Nobody expected him to recover quickly, both physically and mentally, anyways, yet it’s a recovery he wished to expedite. Rubbing the stub he called his right arm, they began the walk away from his house and to the rest of the island. With half of their vision nothing more than a pool of darkness, and the other struggling to see anything with a guiding hand from the moon and the stars, this wasn’t going to be the best night to do his routine walk. Not like he had anything better to do, because Fuel would be at his throat if he woke him up early, and so would Lucas. Those two would sleep like a rock even if the world ended again. 

Along the dirt path he looked at the wooden village and the shadows within them. Lucas once told him of what happened after he… left for a while. While Tazmily was the same to him as it ever has been, Lucas could recount things such as a frog in a car. A frog in a car, huh? The image made him chuckle. It sounded so stupid, they were sure Lucas must’ve been hallucinating. Ah whatever, not like he wouldn’t trust his brother, no matter what. Not like they wouldn’t lay down their life no matter the cost for him either. He wondered if Lucas or his pink haired friend (he’d yet to formally introduce himself to her) would scold him for staying up again, but the train of thought was broken faster than a speeding bullet when he heard something… familiar. It was a sound they swore they remembered from a nightmare and a buried memory. It was on the tip of his tongue, smacking his lips together to the taste of blood that wasn’t there. It was… it was…

In the distance, somewhere in the canyons, the plateau as most call it. It was a deep, defiant, and ominous roar that scared any and all creatures who dared step anywhere near it’s domain. Even from all the way at the path crossing, Claus could just make it out. Yet, even from the deepest recesses of his mind, he couldn’t remember where he heard that roar from, and that terrified them. Why? Because they felt their entire body _shaking_ , and not being able to know why was putting him at edge. He even took a step back. 

“...” _Calm yourself._ The words rang and rattled in his head. A heavy sigh escaped his lips just when the world decided to come to a standstill, leaving nothing but Claus and the internal thoughts hammering away at him. The confusion and curiosity about the memories he must’ve lost of the times before he was used and stripped of free will for someone’s personal gain were at an all time high. How did they even lose them? A brainwash, most likely. Their body recalled something their mind didn’t, and Claus knew they had no choice but to understand what they had forgotten. It could be important, it could explain something he needed to know, because god knows how much they still didn’t remember. In the two weeks since Lucas pulled the final needle, Claus has mostly been resting and regaining his strength, while making sure he still remembered how to use PSI. He had been kept inside for fear of the reaction from any of the other residents when seeing him after such a long time, aside for when he could run around at night. He’d eventually make himself known, but only when his memories came back, and so far Lucas has tried to talk to him about things of the past to no avail. None of the topics Lucas discussed seemed to jog their memory. Maybe whatever lurked beyond the plateau would.

Endless walking and endless fears led to a barren land north of the Sunshine Forest. The quickening pace slowed to a crawl the closer Claus got to the footsteps that shook the earth and the heavens. This creature meant business. Just a few steps more towards the right and Claus could get a glimpse at it. Their back and arms were against the wall, and their heart was beating out of his chest. He didn’t understand why, but it was, his blood pumping like a hammer driven into a nail. 

“Breathe…” Claus whispered to themself. _Breathe._ _Just take a quick look and bolt out of there, no problem. This isn’t anything you can’t handle._

_Step, step, step_ . The former soldier revealed themself along the narrow path, marching with balled fists and intently gazing at the moving shadow. It was… hard to make out. If Claus was stacked three to five times like a ruler, then somewhere around there you’d get the height of this beast. He could make out a tail and stubby arms, but nothing else. _Step, step, step._

Claus stopped. The growling stopped. The creature raised its head and turned its head to Claus. Even if he couldn’t see the eyes, they could feel a gaze that pierced through his soul. He exhaled, feeling a bead of sweat run down his cheek. Instinct told them to flee. The stage was set, and the clouds moved out of the way to make way for the moon to beam its light down onto the ground below to fully reveal the land below. The beast became exposed to Claus in its entirety. Green skin, large scars across its body, and what looked to be a weak leg. He furrowed his brows while the beast leaned in closer. Both were going through an epiphany. The chains which sealed their broken minds snapped into thousands of pieces and allowed it to mend at the cost of one last brutal reminder of the events which started it all. 

“No…” Claus’ fists uncurled. It was getting increasingly harder to stand up by the second, all the images came flooding back like a tsunami. The world was red and dripping with blood. It was splattered all over his shirt, then washed away by the waters of the river that sent him and his brother downstream. His mother had been brave, she never even screamed. Claus clutched his beating heart. They felt sick. “No…” His cries, his anger, his seething revenge, it all was coming back to them now. Looking at the Drago only made it worse. He swore he saw blood pouring from its mouth, and noticed the missing tooth on the bottom row which had pierced his mom with ease. Were these hallucinations? Was this for real? He couldn’t tell anymore, with how distorted his vision was becoming. Everything was a blur, and the downpour of tears they had no control over wasn’t helping. Claus stumbled backwards. The figure of the Drago was twisted in his mind, contorted into a metallic monster, with one goal and one goal only that it could register: attack. 

It reminded him of themself. 

All these images made his stomach turn in more ways than he could comprehend and before Claus knew it all of his fears splattered out of their mouth and onto the ground.   
“Shit…” He didn’t want to remember anymore. They sucked in all the air they could, but it didn’t stop the fact that his knees were wobbling or how his head was spinning. The sound of a knife harmlessly striking the Mecha Drago sliced his mind in two, the throbbing was excruciating. “I abandoned everyone… to fight a battle I knew I could never win?…” Claus weakly lifted his head to the Drago towering over his body. Was he about to die a third time? He’d never find out. His knees gave out and he hit the floor, embracing a cold darkness he could never escape from once again.

\-----

Claus eventually woke up to something wet rubbing against their cheek. 

“Ugh…” He groaned. The sun was out now. It blinded his vision, so he sat up to rub his eyes. “Boney, would you stop licking my…” Claus opened his eyes to the sight of a Drago about the same height as him. A small roar came out of it, which sounded deeper than Claus remembered. Was this the Baby Drago? It had grown quite a bit. “Face…” He never left the plateau? No wait… they passed out here. Now they remembered. But that means-

A low growl came from behind. Claus wheeled around. The Father Drago was staring at him, eye to eye, and now that the sun was out Claus could see that one of its eyes was replaced with the moon. It had a blind eye too? No defiant roar, no head chomping, no battle-hungry eyes. Guess Claus would live another day. _What a shame_ , they said to themself.

“...” Claus rose to his feet. Their mind was crystal clear now. So was the mind of who he thought was his enemy. The fear that had washed over him earlier was still there, but much more tame. Inhale, exhale. “You remember me, don’t you?” The Drago made no immediate response. Then it took a step back. He could only assume the answer was yes. How would Claus know anyway? It’s not like the Drago could speak English. The more Claus looked at the Drago as it was, seeing how normal it looked unlike the creature stuck in their mind, it made them think. Clearly something, no, someone changed it, and there was only one person in the universe Claus could think of with that type of power. Oh how it made his blood boil to the seams. His fury towards Porky and his goons knew no bounds. “That bastard.” They said out loud to themself. “He used you too, didn’t he? You probably don’t even know what I’m talking about. The guys who…” Claus looked down at his stub of a right arm again. The word was on the tip of their tongue, but it was a word that felt painful to use. “Turned you into a monster.” He winced at the word. _Monster._ He knew from the bottom of his heart that wasn’t who he was, but he could never wipe the memory of Lucas’ face when Lucas saw him stand before the Final Needle. All the horrors and sinister words that must’ve passed through Lucas’ head that day, there were too many to count. “The guys who took away everything from us, stripped us of our free will and made us slaves.” It didn’t matter if they were no longer a part of this world. He’d never let what they did die for as long as he lived. Claus was pacing back and forth as he said this, coming to a halt when the Drago tilted its head. They sighed. 

“Even when she knew she was going to die, she smiled. I saw it even underneath the water. Mom has a funny way of seemingly knowing everything’s going to be alright… it’s kind of creepy actually. I can’t... “ _Breathe, god damn it, breathe._ “I can’t put the blame for the death of my mother on someone who didn’t even have the power to stop themself. You didn’t have a choice, just newly programmed orders and a shred of humanity begging to be let out. That’s the truth I know all too damn well.” The more Claus spoke, the more his tone raised. The Drago took two steps forward, lowering its head to meet eye to eye with Claus. “It pisses me off… knowing I almost did the same thing to my brother. He could’ve died because of me…” Claus noticed how the Drago moved its head to the side so it could clearly see him with its good eye. Oh yeah, that reminded Claus of the bandage that miraculously hadn’t fallen off yet. “You know what I think?” With a simple tug, the bandage came loose and was tossed to the side. Claus could still only see half of the world, his white eye lined with three scars given to them by the Drago. “I think we both lost sight of our lives that day.” Slowly his hand came forward, gently placing itself on the Drago’s head. All the Drago did was close its eyes and let Claus rub the area back and forth. 

“This is all happening so fast, too fast maybe.” Claus muttered. “But it feels good… knowing everything again and getting this off my chest. Guess I have to add this to my pile of reasons to break Minch in two one day.” Busting the Absolutely Safe Capsule open would be Christmas on a summer day to Claus, even if such an act was impossible. “Guess the good news is… we’re both free now. Well, almost free.” Nightmares, never-ending thoughts, the loss of two necessary body parts, trying to find his footing and feel human again. There were still things Claus needed to deal with, and who knows how long any of that could take with how severe most of it was right now. 

“I see you made a new friend.” Claus twirled around to the voice that had snuck up on them. They knew that pink dress from anywhere.

“Mom? What are you doing here?” Unlike Claus, Hinawa looked just fine. Her smile still brightened up the darkest of days. You couldn’t tell that anything happened to her after they put her dress back together. He overheard something when she was talking to Flint though. About how, right near her breast, there was a large scar from the wound she suffered. 

“I noticed you weren’t around when I woke up, and something told me you might be here.”  
“Then I guess you were right.” Time to leave. Claus waved goodbye to the Drago family and went over to where their mother stood. With a loud _THUD_ the father Drago sat down and watched the two go. “Aren’t you afraid of the Dragos?”  
“You finally remembered?” Claus nodded in response to this. “I can’t help but be afraid at times. Hearing the stories Lucas told me about his adventure, and you two standing there just now, I think it’s okay to say they never meant to harm me.” As they walked along the barren path together Claus stuffed their hands in their pockets and looked to the clouds.

“When… that night happened… I remember you smiling. Why?” Hinawa chuckled. Hearing it made it hard for Claus not to smile. 

“I had hope that everything would turn out fine. A gut feeling.” For a while Claus stayed silent. Sure, everything did work out, but the memories that still burned in the minds of many would never fade and the scars wouldn’t heal themselves one day. The biggest question of all? What would happen next?

“Do you see me as a monster?” It came out of nowhere, in fact Claus blurted it out. “Do you think I’m an idiot for what I did?” The two stopped walking. Claus kept staring at the sky. “I just ran off without a second thought. Didn’t even think about how much it would hurt Lucas or Dad. Look what happened because of it.” A hand was placed on his shoulder with a tender squeeze. “Everything was flipped on its head, and a lot of it is because of me. I should’ve just stayed, I should’ve been there for them.” Now he had to fight off the tears again. Great.

“Everyone does different things when they’re in grief. Just look at your father. It’s wrong for me to be mad at you for showing it. Like your dad says, you can be quite hasty.” That wasn’t convincing enough for Claus. Without warning they were pulled closer to Hinawa and given the embrace they’d all but forgotten. He couldn’t stop the tears now. “You’re not a monster. You’re a brave boy, dare I say even a hero.” _A hero, huh?_ Claus thought over that sentence. He supposed, in a twisted sense, he finally was one. “I don’t ever want to hear that again. Can you do that for me?” Claus just nodded. They didn’t realize how much they missed Hinawa’s soft, comforting words until now. She still had the nicest hugs too, the runner up being Lucas without question. 

“Can we go home now?” Claus asked.

“Of course. I think you’ve been out here long enough.” They began walking again. Her words stuck with him like superglue. He couldn’t help but repeat those two words in his head. A hero. A lifelong dream in the flesh. If they were a hero, though, what did that make Drago, who suffered the same cruel fate as him? 

**Author's Note:**

> No, I don't know how to write Hinawa


End file.
